The present invention relates generally to catheter insertion devices, and more particularly to improvements in catheter insertion devices which facilitate gripping of the device and thereby insertion of a catheter into the vein of the patient.
Heretofore, devices such as wing structures and tapes have been employed to aid in intravenous needle placement and to secure the needle to the skin after venipuncture. Exemplary of the prior art are U.S. Pat. No. 2,725,058--Intravenous Needle Assembly, A. S. Rathkey, issued Nov. 29, 1955; U.S. Pat. No. 3,064,648--Intravenous Needle Assembly, A. F. Bujan, issued Nov. 20, 1962; U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,361--Intravenous Catheter Unit With Flexible Wing Support and Insertion Means, Douglas A. Loper et al., issued June 29, 1971; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,451--Intravenous Catheter Unit With Releasable Inserter Means, Dale F. Beck, et al., issued Nov. 3, 1970.
A problem has been found in the past in manufacturing wings that are sufficiently flexible to enable easy gripping and puncture of the patient's vein in use, while at the same time being fixedly attached to a catheter device. Additionally, it has been found that a particular size of wings is not particularly well adapted for taping to certain portions of the anatomy. Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention in providing a pair of flexible wings and wing hub in a modular assembly which is easily attachable to catheter devices. It is an additional advantage of the invention to provide such a wing hub and wing hub assembly which is low in cost and easy to manufacture. It is a further advantage of the invention to provide a wing and wing hub assembly in a variety of sizes which are attachable to catheter devices in order to facilitate taping of said devices to various portions of the anatomy.